An investigation of the suitability of Artificial Neural Networks for the prediction of core and local skin temperatures when trained with a large and gender-balanced database

Neural networks have been proven to successfully predict the results of complex non-linear problems in a variety of research fields, including medical research. Yet there is paucity of models utilising intelligent systems in the field of thermoregulation. They are under-utilized for predicting seemingly random physiological responses and in particular never used to predict local skin temperatures; or core temperature with a large dataset. In fact, most predictive models in this field (non-artificial intelligence based) focused on predicting body temperature and average skin temperature using relatively small gender-unbalanced databases or data from thermal dummies due to a lack of larger datasets. This paper aimed to address these limitations by applying Artificial Intelligence to create predictive models of core body temperature and local skin temperature (specifically at forehead, chest, upper arms, abdomen, knees and calves) while using a large and gender-balanced experimental database collected in office-type situations. A range of Neural Networks were developed for each local temperature, with topologies of 1–2 hidden layers and up to 20 neurons per layer, using Bayesian and the Levemberg-Marquardt back-propagation algorithms, and using various sets of input parameters (2520 NNs for each of the local skin temperatures and 1760 for the core temperature, i.e. a total of 19400 NNs). All topologies and configurations were assessed and the most suited recommended. The recommended Neural Networks trained well, with no sign of over-fitting, and with good performance when predicting unseen data. The recommended Neural Network for each case was compared with previously reported multi-linear models. Core temperature was avoided as a parameter for local skin temperatures as it is impractical for non-contact monitoring systems and does not significantly improve the precision despite it is the most stable parameter. The recommended NNs substantially improve the predictions in comparison to previous approaches. NN for core temperature has an R-value of 0.87 (81% increase), and a precision of ±0.46 °C for an 80% CI which is acceptable for non-clinical applications. NNs for local skin temperatures had R-values of 0.85-0.93 for forehead, chest, abdomen, calves, knees and hands, last two being the strongest (increase of 72% for abdomen, 63% for chest, and 32% for calves and forehead). The precision was best for forehead, chest and calves, with about ±1.2 °C, which is similar to the precision of existent average skin temperature models even though the average value is more stable

Distinguishing different stages of Parkinson's disease using composite index of speed and pen-pressure of sketching a spiral

The speed and pen-pressure while sketching a spiral are lower among Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with higher severity of the disease. However, the correlation between these features and the severity level (SL) of PD has been reported to be 0.4. There is a need for identifying parameters with a stronger correlation for considering this for accurate diagnosis of the disease. This study has proposed the use of the Composite Index of Speed and Pen-pressure (CISP) of sketching as a feature for analyzing the severity of PD. A total of 28 control group (CG) and 27 PD patients (total 55 participants) were recruited and assessed for Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). They drew guided Archimedean spiral on an A3 sheet. Speed, pen-pressure, and CISP were computed and analyzed to obtain their correlation with severity of the disease. The correlation of speed, pen-pressure, and CISP with the severity of PD was -0.415, -0.584, and -0.641, respectively. Mann-Whitney U test confirmed that CISP was suitable to distinguish between PD and CG, while non-parametric k-sample Kruskal-Wallis test confirmed that it was significantly different for PD SL-1 and PD SL-3. This shows that CISP during spiral sketching may be used to differentiate between CG and PD and between PD SL-1 and PD SL-3 but not SL-2

Non-invasive and wearable early fever detection system for young children

Fever in young children is taken seriously by healthcare professionals as it indicates an underlying infection which can be life-threatening. Core body temperature can be accurately measured using traditional techniques, but these are not suitable for non-invasive monitoring during normal life. This study investigates the possibility of fever monitoring in children under 2 years of age in a non-clinical setting based on various local skin temperatures. Various system designs are presented, i.e. single vs multi-sensor systems, and a set of sensors either localized or distributed across the body. The probability of positive fever identification on feverish children ranges from ~40% to 77% using 1 and 5 sensors respectively, while the detected false positives are a 10%. We conclude that a continuous and non-invasive fever monitoring in children under 2 years is possible by the propose method, providing a suitable solution for early fever detection and alert

Computer analysis of bobsleigh team push

Bobsleigh start is a simple action requiring the crew to push as hard as possible and gain maximum initial velocity of the sled at the start. However, detailed computer analysis based on velocity and acceleration data shows that timing of loading play a very important role. In this work we demonstrate that a very important performance parameter commonly called exit velocity can be use as both target and performance measurement. The analysis of time profiles allowed us to modify the timing of the loading and gain nearly 1km/h on the exit speed

Unsteady fluid mechanics effects in water based human locomotion

Computational fluid mechanics (CFD) has made substantial progress on modelling a variety of important problems in industry. However, there is still lack of reliable methods to model the motion of the body in water. This is a central issue in understanding animal and human propulsion in water not only to advance science but to explore the possibility of utilising such propulsion modes for man made vehicles. The presented work identified the added mass effect as the prime contributor to propulsive force generation. The use of boundary element method (BEM) proved very successful as it allowed reducing this dynamic problem to a quasi-static one without sacrificing accuracy in the model. The comparison between the experimental data and the simulation result was in the range of 95% (average accuracy) suggesting that the added mass effect and dynamic lift and drag are the most significant physical phenomena in propulsive force generation despite the fact that there is undoubtedly and the presence of turbulent effects that were not considered

Bobsleigh performance characteristics for winning design

This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license. Bobsleigh is one of the fastest and most exciting winter sport where winning margin are very slim. It is also a sport highly dependent on technology. In this work we review the technology areas likely to bring the biggest advantage to the teams and present some developments in critical areas identified. The areas reviewed are unsteady aerodynamics of the sled, ice friction and runner development, dynamic structural response and ergonomics. It is demonstrated that these three areas provide opportunity to gain performance improvement with infringing the design constraints stipulated by the regulatory body FIBT and without comprising athletes' safety

On-line Computer Test System for Remote Assessment of Neurological Patients: Part A Standard Computer Interface Application

The work presents a development of an on-line system for neurological tests. A variety of congruent, non-congruent and bradikinesia tests are described. The system is aimed at patients with a variety of neurological disorders and has been tested on Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson Disease sufferers. The current implementation uses standard PC/laptop/tablet interface and is considered appropriate for conducting unsupervised in house tests. The main aim of this development is to facilitate a link between patient, personal clinician and specialist neurologist to allow speedy assessment of treatment effectiveness and on-time interventions. The main achievement is improved accuracy of time measurement allowing for the better differentiation in the disease progression assessment and/or earlier diagnosis

Estimating propulsive forces - sink or swim?

Etude de la validité de l'estimation des forces hydrodynamiques en natation, calculées par une approche quasi-statique. Pour ces mesures on a construit un bras artificiel articulé à l'épaule et au coude

Influence of the wake model on the thrust of oscillating foil

Trust generation by flapping wing is a complex fluid phenomenon involving unsteady effects. The work discusses a Boundary Element Method (BEM) based computer model for the analysis of hydrodynamic forces on flapping foil. The specific focus is on the wake model and its effects on the generated thrust. An unsteady formulation of the Kutta condition, assuming finite pressure difference at the trailing edge of the moving foil, was implemented in the numerical procedure to account for the shedding of trailing-edge vortical structures. It is shown that the numerical results depend strongly on the choice of the wake model, especially at large oscillation frequencies. However, the model of the thrust-producing jet (due to the trailing-edge pressure differences) predicts accurately the thrust trend as a function of the oscillation frequency. In other words, the numerical results show the need of experimental data in order to choose the appropriate wake model. An experimental validation of the numerical method is proposed on the basis of recent experimental results that clearly show the time lag between the foil vertical acceleration and generated thrust as predicted by the model. This proves the point that the unsteady BEM approach to these problems is physically sound